Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Compete at NECC Championship
WATERFORD, Conn. – The Elms College men's and women's cross country teams competed at the 2012 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship at Harkness Memorial State Park on Saturday afternoon. Lesley University won both the men's and women's races, while the Blazers earned the Team Sportsmanship Award for both genders.
Lesley's men took four of the five top spots to score 17 points to easily outdistance Southern Vermont College's total of 61 in the 8-kilometer race for its fifth straight NECC title. Mitchell College finished third with 67 points, while Newbury College turned in a fourth-place showing with 110 points to edge out fifth-place finisher Daniel Webster College by five points.
Max Bulger (Falmouth, Maine) crossed the finish line first for Lesley to earn the top individual award with a time of 27:51.
Lesley's women earned the first four places in the 5-kilometer race en-route to a score of 16 points to best Mitchell's total of 71 points. Elms finished third with 79 points, while Southern Vermont was right behind with 86 points. Bay Path College scored 133 points to place fifth and Newbury placed sixth with 140 points.
Keryn Thorvaldsen (Sayville, N.Y.) crossed the finish line first for Lesley in a time of 19:25 to secure top honors in the women's race.
Elms' junior Jesse Zina (Ludlow, Mass.) clocked a time of 33:12 to finish first for the Blazers and 15th overall, while freshman Adam Kuzdzal (Chicopee, Mass.) placed 30th overall with a time of 36:05.
For the women's team, junior Devon DeGrazia (Westport, Mass.) finished 10th overall after clocking a time of 22:35. Sophomore Rachel Lehouillier (Belchertown, Mass.) was right behind her in 12th place with a time of 22:45, while freshman Emma Bernard (Springfield, Mass.) registered a mark of 24:00 to come in third for Elms.
Other highlights included DeGrazia running a personal record en route to being named Second Team All-NECC, while sophomore Shirley Ryan (Brimfield, Mass.) also clocked a PR with a time of 25:07.
Elms returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 10 at the NCAA Division III Qualifier.
2012 Men's Cross Country All-NECC Honors
Runner of the Year
Max Bulger, Lesley
Rookie of the Year
Nick Green, Lesley
Coach of the Year
Dan Flynn, Lesley
Team Sportsmanship
Elms College
First Team All-NECC
Max Bulger, Lesley
Andy Scott, Lesley
Nick Green, Lesley
Joshua Ceasar, Southern Vermont
Evan Reseka, Lesley
Second Team All-NECC
Chris Conforti, Lesley
Ian Barber, Lesley
Spencer Daniel, Mitchell
Andrew Castagna, Mitchell
Victor Velazquez, Southern Vermont
2012 Wen's Cross Country All-NECC Honors
Runner of the Year
Keryn Thorvaldsen, Lesley
Rookie of the Year
Emilia McGrath, Lesley
Coach of the Year
Todd Peretz, Mitchell College
Team Sportsmanship
Elms College
First Team All-NECC
Keryn Thorvaldsen, Lesley
Leah Miller, Lesley
Emilia McGrath, Lesley
Jackie Rosa, Lesley
Alice Lala, Southern Vermont
Second Team All-NECC
Noa Kupfer, Lesley
Haley Omasta, Southern Vermont
Sheilah Newcity, Mitchell
Elena Pereira, Lesley
Devon DeGrazia, Elms
